Vancouver Film School selected to help guide educational partnership
VANCOUVER, B.C. (July 8, 2014) – Vancouver Film School (VFS) is very pleased to announce a partnership with Shanghai University that will see the creation of a jointly-operated film school in Shanghai. VFS was selected by the Shanghai Municipal Government as the foundational educational partner in the major project, which aims to make Shanghai the leading film and entertainment production centre in Asia. Scheduled to open in the fall of 2014, the new campus will offer four programs: Film Production, Sound Design for Visual Media, Animation & Visual Effects, and Makeup Design for Film & Television.
The school also anticipates enrolling 100 students when the campus doors open, with plans to annually enroll a thousand students in five to seven years. "The Government of Shanghai could have partnered with any school or university of their choosing, so being singled out from all others in the world is a very prestigious matter," said James Griffin, President of Vancouver Film School. "It speaks to the relationship of trust built between VFS and the Shanghai Municipal Government over the past eight years. Given China's domestic film box office is expected to be the world's largest by 2018, and given they need to produce more successful films to fully capitalize on that growth, it makes sense they would partner with a school whose graduates have been involved in 27 of the 30 all-time top grossing films. For VFS, this is an unparalleled opportunity."
The new school and campus will be a joint venture between the municipal government, Shanghai University, and Vancouver Film School. In addition to the educational partnership, VFS is also significantly involved in a comprehensive four-step industry plan comprising education, a film industry park, a new production centre, and a film funding component supported by the government. For more information on VFS's programs and initiatives, please visit vfs.edu.
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About Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Film School is Canada's premier post-secondary entertainment arts institution and one of the most distinguished in the world. Its 13 production-oriented programs encompass all aspects of visual media, from Sound Design for Visual Media to Animation & Visual Effects to Acting to Film Production to Game Design. In one year or less, students at VFS work with industry leaders in a studio environment while creating professional-quality reels and films that get them noticed on the global stage. VFS graduates have a profound effect on the entertainment industry, playing key roles behind the scenes in in the top ten highest-grossing films of 2010.